“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)
OBITUARY
Fr S Thomaiar
Born : 11.07.1951
Ordained : 05.06.1978
Expired : 24.07.2015
Bengaluru: With profound grief, I condole the death of our beloved Fr Thomaiar who died on Friday, 24.07.2015 at 8:43 p.m. in Yangon, Myanmar.
Fr Thomaiar was born on 11.07.1951 at Muthuvijayapuram, Ramanathapuram Dist., Tamil Nadu. His parents were Susai and Savariammal. Out of 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls), Fr Thomaiar was the fifth child. His parents and eldest brother have already gone to their eternal reward. After his high school studies in his home town, he joined the Archdiocese of Bangalore to have his priestly formation at St Mary’s Minor Seminary and at St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore. He was ordained a priest on 05.06.1978 at Ascension Church, Bangalore, by the late Archbishop Packiam Arokiaswamy.
He served the Archdiocese for 37 years at the following places:
1978 June Asst. Parish Priest St Patrick’s Church, Brigade Road
1980 June Asst. Parish Priest St Peter & Paul Church, Rayapuram
1982 June Asst. Parish Priest Infant Jesus Church, Viveknagar
1983 June Parish Priest St Rita’s Church, Kunigal
1988 June Parish Priest Good Shepherd Church, Murphy Town
1995 May Parish Priest St Theresa’s Church, Robertsonpet-KGF
20.06.2000 Parish Priest Ss Peter & Paul Church, Rayapuram
30.05.2006 Parish Priest Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Tumkur
16.06.2008 Parish Priest Mother of Mines Church, Oorgaum
15.06.2014 Parish Priest Holy Family Church, Ramamurthynagar
24.07.2015 R.I.P.
Fr S Thomaiar was a priest with zeal and enthusiasm. He accepted his appointments cheerfully and worked with priestly zeal and commitment by having a sole motto: Serving People is Serving God. Fr. S. Thomaiar was known for his humble demeanor and simple lifestyle. As he was a very jovial person, priests and people were enjoying his company. It is a well-known fact that his heart reached out to the needy and the poor wherever he did his priestly ministry.
He did not have any major health problem, except that he had some heart related health issues a few years back, and no one expected his death would come so soon. He died as he lived: in faith, hope and love. He was well prepared for his death as he was in retreat on 24th July having the desert experience according to St. Charles de Foucauld’s spirituality.
In the death of Fr S Thomaiar, we have lost a senior priest of our Archdiocese. Let us continue to pray for the repose of his soul in gratitude to God for all the services that he had rendered to all of us in the Archdiocese.
On behalf of all my Priests, Religious and the Faithful, I express my heartfelt sympathies to the brothers and sisters, relatives and friends of the late Fr S Thomaiar. May the Lord grant them the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss.
The mortal remains of Fr S Thomaiar will arrive from Burma at midnight on 28th July, 2015. It will be taken straight from the Airport to the Holy Family Church – Ramamurthy Nagar, where he was the Parish Priest.
On 29th July, a Requiem Mass will be offered at 8:00 a.m. in that Church.
After the Mass, the Coffin will be shifted to Sacred Heart’s Church – Richmond Road and will be kept for the public to pay their last respects.
At 11:30 a.m., the Funeral Service will be conducted at Sacred Heart’s Church – Richmond Road, followed by the Burial at Sacred Heart’s Priests’ Cemetery.
All the Priests of the Archdiocese of Bangalore are requested to offer 3 Masses for the repose of the soul of Fr S Thomaiar.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord; and let the perpetual Light shine upon him. And may his soul rest in peace.
Bernard Moras
Archbishop of Bangalore